Sacks of sand, sawdust, stones, plywood and plastic waste were found stuffed inside main sewer lines in around half a dozen wards, including Shivala, Saraynandan and Nagwa, during cleaning operations, the Varanasi Nagar Nigam said.
Varanasi mayor Ashok Tiwari said around 12 sacks of sand were removed from sewer lines during cleaning operations in the Shivala area on Friday night. He said the discovery of sand-filled sacks inside the sewer line pointed to a possible conspiracy and warranted a thorough investigation.
“Prima facie, this appears to be part of a major conspiracy. The blockage in the main sewer line caused sewage to overflow into connecting lanes, disrupting daily life and leading to waterlogging,” he said.
Taking a serious view of the matter, the Jalkal Department of the Varanasi Nagar Nigam (VNN) lodged a formal complaint at Bhelupur Police Station. “In this connection, based on the complaint, a case under Section 326(c) (mischief by inundation) of the BNS has been registered against unidentified persons,” said Bhelupur station house officer Durga Singh.
The complaint states that during cleaning of the main sewer line to address waterlogging near Agarwal Radio, close to the garbage collection point at Ratnakar Park in Shivala Ward No. 75, a large number of sand-filled sacks were found. It alleges that unidentified persons deliberately blocked the main sewer line to cause disruption and tarnish the image of the Jalkal Department and the city.
{{/usCountry}}The complaint states that during cleaning of the main sewer line to address waterlogging near Agarwal Radio, close to the garbage collection point at Ratnakar Park in Shivala Ward No. 75, a large number of sand-filled sacks were found. It alleges that unidentified persons deliberately blocked the main sewer line to cause disruption and tarnish the image of the Jalkal Department and the city.
{{/usCountry}}Officials said the VNN administration is examining CCTV footage from the area to identify those responsible and ensure the strictest possible legal action is taken against them.
Meanwhile, municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal suspected anti-social elements were behind the act. He stated that the corporation is making every effort to expose this conspiracy and appealed to residents to immediately inform the municipal corporation if they spot anyone tampering with sewer lines or government property.